Learning to let go
by ficfan11
Summary: What happens when the life you've known crumbles right in front of your eyes


_A/N: hey everyone I have a new one shot here, I know I have a chaptered fic at the moment but I am really struggling with that so hopefully this gets back into the swing of things. Anyway I have always loved the Jurassic park series, I like them all some more than others. In order it's the first one, then Jurassic world, number three and the lost world. Anyway while it wasn't my least favourite the way Alan and Ellie were portrayed really bugged me. It was like Ellie had moved on in her life settled down and had a kid, while Alan was stuck in the past no longer liking dinosaurs and still wasn't keen on kids. I mean what the hell?! After everything they went through in number one you would think they would at least stick together. Anyway this isn't a re write of number 3, it's just a little scene between the two, set about two to three years after number 3. Anyway enough rambling let's go!_

The sound of the helicopters engine whirring to life echoed around the site, sending sand everywhere as the blades started to spin. The Large helicopter raised off the earth's surface and attached the hook to a large shipping container before flying away.

The area it had left was vastly empty, except for one large jeep a metal shed and three people standing around it, all in shorts and short sleeved shirts. The youngest of the three a blonde haired man with short blonde hair jogged away from the jeep and up the steps into the metal shed, which at closer inspection revealed itself to be a small caravan. He swung open the door and looked inside, at the end of the small mobile home sat a man, visibly a lot older than the other one, in long trousers and a white shirt with a by his side and his head in his hands.

The younger man walked in, and spoke to the other, "The last of the equipment has been packed away and flown out, everyone's driven out of here save for us and two others".

The older man looked up at the younger one with intense blue eyes, "Well then I suggest you three start heading out, but I'm not leaving".

The younger man shook his head, "Dr Grant this is insane, this place is finished, done, over! There is nothing more we can do".

The older man (Dr Grant) looked up, "No Billy there is nothing more you can do! I don't care if I have to dig with a plastic spade and a bucket I am staying here".

Billy shook his head again, "But Dr Grant you don't have any food or water, and you know why we have to leave".

Grant spoke back, "I have enough, I know what we have been told, so you had better get in that jeep and get out of here, but I am not moving".

Billy let out a huge sigh of annoyance and spoke back this time in a louder voice, "Fine, stay here and die of exhaustion or heat stroke. You will have nobody to blame but yourself". He walked towards the door and swing it open, but before he left he looked back and spoke in an upset voice, "you know, when I came out here, I looked up to you, I thought you were a hero. But now I realise, you don't want to leave because you can't face you're past. I know it's not the dinosaurs, it's because of _her!_ She's the only one who understood you and you messed it up, because of your obsession out here and you just can't face that".

Alan stood up his expression angry, but before he could get a word out Billy had walked out slamming the door behind him. Alan stood there rooted to the spot for a few minutes, waiting, then he heard it. The Jeeps engine rumble to life, and he heard the tyres screech as it pulled away on the sandy ground.

As soon as the engine noise was gone Alan walked to the fridge and looked inside finding what he was looking for almost immediately he reached in and pulled out a bottle of champagne, they had never opened it. He had bought it back after his visit to that island with.., no he would not let his mind wander down that road. He pulled the cork and spent a few minutes looking for a glass, then realised he was the only one here so he tipped his head back and drunk from the bottle. He sat down and had another swig slowly his vision blurred and thought vanished from his mind as he saw day turn to night and the bottle became empty.

He opened his eyes and the first thing he realised was, he was lying on the floor. Sunlight was streaming through the windows and his head was pounding. He slowly sat up a few of his joints cracking as he did. The bottle of champagne was lying a few feet away. He ran a hand through his hair and found his hat, then he stood up, it took a few seconds to get his balance, it had been a long time since he had been drunk and he was now paying the price. He found a small bottle of water and drained it, then placing his hat on his head he walked outside.

He walked down the rickety steps of the old caravan and looked around, the dig site was completely empty; something it hadn't been for the last fifteen years. He took a few steps under the soft sand he found the whole scene very depressing, for the last twelve years it had been a scene of excitement, hope and discovery, now it was a barren stretch of sand abandoned because of the absence of one crucial thing; money.

John Hammond's funds from InGen had run out after four years, he had added another year to the funding after all the trouble on the island. After the false promise by the Kirby couple, it was thought the site was doomed but at the last minute the museum of natural history had bailed them out, hoping to find more exhibits, but after years of investment and no luck they had pulled the plug. There was enough money for six months to find a new investor but after twelve years on one site nobody was interested and so the project had dried up and over the last few days helicopters had arrived and taken all the equipment and jeeps had been taking people to flights back to the mainland. Fifteen years of work and graft, wiped out in less than a week.

Alan walked across the sand thinking about what Billy said the day before, Alan knew he was right but it was more than that. The Dinosaurs he had seen on Jurassic park weren't dinosaurs not really. They had dinosaur DNA but there were gaps filled with frog DNA, meaning they weren't real dinosaurs. What they did on that island was unnatural and wrong, Alan wanted to stay here and prove that real dinosaurs did still exist in some way. But with no funds it looked like that wouldn't happen.

Then there was Ellie. Alan sighed whenever he thought of her. Ellie had been the one person who understood and returned the same passion for dinosaurs that he had. They had spent years studying dinosaurs before coming out here and after three years they were loving it, and they both never wanted to stop. But then Jurassic park happened.

After that experience both Alan and Ellie had lost a lot of their admiration of dinosaurs and they held them in a new light. For Ellie this put her off the dig site and while she did come back it was only for six months and then she packed her bags and left, and while Billy came in a few years later and Alan had nothing against Billy this hurt him, he and Ellie worked so well together in a way he and Billy just couldn't. About a year after Billy joined the dig Ellie was married and pregnant and later gave birth to Charlie. Then three years later the false promise with the Kirby's happened. And here they were four years later Alan was the only one left.

Alan broke out of his thought and looked around and felt a lump form in his throat, he was standing in the exact spot where the computer found the velociraptor, and that kid said it looked like a big turkey and Ellie told Alan off for scaring him. He swallowed the lump, he kicked out at the sand, muttering "I'm so sorry Ellie". He kicked out again enjoying the outlet for frustration, damn John Hammond and that blasted island, damn his bloody choice of digging over Ellie and, and damn this bloody heat, he thought as he sat down on the sand. It was reaching midday the hottest point, Alan picked up a handful of sand watching the grains fall out of his palm. He wished he could go back and change what happened, he wished he could go back and leave with Ellie, then maybe it would be him sitting at home with Ellie right now with a child and not out here in an empty abandoned dig site. But he couldn't, he had to do what he had been here to do all these years and while he didn't have a spade he had his hands, and there was a raptor skeleton around here, so he started digging his hands tossing sand aside as the sun bared down on his back. In the midst of his hurry and mad scramble he didn't notice the sweat drip off his pace the immense headache return and before he knew it he collapsed onto the sand dehydrated and exhausted and his eyes slowly closed.

"… _.god knows what would have happened if we hadn't found him"._

" _See what I mean he's gone mad"_

" _I do, and I should have known this would happen I should have come a lot sooner"_

These were the voices echoing inside Alan's head as his eyes slowly opened, the first thing he realised was he was lying on his back, on a comfortable couch, it was cool and the sun wasn't shining on his face. He rolled over and saw the source of the voices, Billy. And a woman, a woman Alan hadn't seen for over two years, she hadn't changed a bit, still blonde, same figure and same hairstyle. _Ellie_

He sat up and said slowly, "Am I dreaming"?

The two people wheeled around and rushed towards him, but Ellie was there first she flung her arms around his neck and pulled him in tight, "oh my god, Alan thank god thank god thank god". She muttered things into his shoulder for nearly a minute and then let go, Alan looked at Billy and he smiled.

"Good to see you're awake you had us worried".

Alan was about to speak but before he could a water bottle was thrust into his hands by Ellie, "drink that now, all of it". Alan knew not to disobey so he ripped the lid off and drained it in two gulps. Ellie smiled, and finally Alan spoke.

"What happened"?

Billy spoke, "As soon as we left here two days ago I knew I couldn't leave you here so as soon as we got to the airport later that day I rung Ellie and told her to get over here, I knew she would be the only one who could convince you to leave. She got down here yesterday and we came straight up here, found you passed out at about five in the afternoon we got you in here, and waited for you to wake up. It's five in the morning now, and god knows how long you were out before that, you were lucky you weren't burned to a crisp".

Alan nodded then looked at Ellie, "How did you get down here so quick"?

Ellie smiled, "Believe it or not it was because of Lex Murphy. Yup that little girl. After Billy told me what happened I knew I needed to be fast, I rang InGen because I thought that's who still funded you, it took a while but as soon as they found out who I was I was put through to Simon Masrani, who eventually put me through to Lex and she got me a car to the nearest airport and a private jet down here".

Alan smiled slightly remembering the little girl, "well god bless her she saved my life".

Then Ellie frowned, "yes we need to talk about that". Then she looked at Billy, "out, I'm doing what you asked me to do, go wait in the jeep". Billy nodded and walked out.

Ellie looked at Alan and stalked up to him, and slapped him hard across the face, "What the hell Alan! I don't see you in over two years and when I do I have to rescue you again! Why the hell didn't you leave"?!

Alan looked up at her an ashamed expression on his face, "Because I don't know what else I can do, my whole life has been dinosaurs that's it, and without that what can I do"?

Ellie's expression softened a bit, "Alan you know there are loads of paths you could take, teaching, lecturing you could even do a desk job for a museum or become a guide there, Alan there is more to life than this."

Alan smirked, "You could say that, you have a family, I'm too old for that, how is Charlie by the way"?

Ellie smiled, "He's ok he's at his dads at the moment, he still loves dinosaurs you know".

Alan smiled and nodded then he cottoned on, "Hang on Ellie you said Charlie was at his dads have you and Mark…." He tailed off.

Ellie nodded, "Yeah split up last year, divorce finalised a few weeks ago".

Alan lowered his head, "I'm sorry".

Ellie shrugged, "Don't worry about it, it had been coming for ages, he was always away, I looked after Charlie all the time, when we were together without Charlie we couldn't talk much and we realised it was finished".

Alan nodded "Still I'm sorry".

Ellie shrugged, "Again don't worry you didn't know".

Alan nodded again, "That's another thing I'm sorry for, I should have seen you more and faced up to what we had rather than let you slip away".

Ellie smiled, "Alan what we had was a wonderful thing, but while we were similar we were just too different, I wanted kids you didn't, I wanted out of this life you didn't and after the park I didn't want anything to do with dinosaurs anymore, you did".

Alan looked up, "I guess I know that, but if it's worth anything I regret it".

Ellie nodded, "Look Alan what happened, happened and happened for a reason. I left for a reason, so I could start a family, you stayed so you could try and find more dinosaurs and fall back in love with them. But Alan what has to happen now is you have to leave, there's nothing more anyone can do for this place, learn from your mistakes let go".

Alan nodded a lump in his throat, "And then what, like I said before I'm not trained for anything else".

Ellie sighed, "Alan like I said there are so many paths you could take, you could find another dig site, teach, lecture or anything. I lecture at a college and I love it, I teach them what I know but I know I never have to dig a bone or run away again, Alan I found something you can too, but there's nothing more for you to find here except memories and sand".

Alan looked into her eyes and looked around, she was right there was nothing left here. He had spent one day here alone and it had been nearly the worst day of his life. He looked into Ellie's eyes and nodded, "Ok but I can't do it alone".

Ellie looked at him, "What do you mean Alan"?

Alan sighed he wasn't good with emotion, "Ellie I have always loved you, the worst mistake ever was letting you leave without me, if you had died on that island I don't know what I would have done. This starting again is going to be difficult and I need someone to be a rock by my side through it. Ellie can we try again"?

Ellie smiled a bit, "Alan I have always felt the same way, but if we are giving it another go I have two conditions, one is we take it slow, we may think this is what we want but it may not be".

Alan nodded, "And condition two".

Ellie sighed, "No velociraptors ok, dead or alive"

Alan smiled a bit, "I promise".

Ellie smiled, then before she could stop herself she threw herself into his arms like she had done on Jurassic park all those years ago. Alan just pulled her tighter into him. After a minute she let go, "Ok Alan ready to go and start again"?

Alan nodded, "Definitely".

The pair walked out the caravan to the jeep were Billy was sat in the back. Ellie turned the key and started driving away, Alan looked around quickly at the dig site one last time, it had provided him with excitement and discovery but also the worst times of his life in that damn island and letting Ellie go. But as they turned a corner out of the site, he clutched her free hand for a second and she looked across and smiled at him. He was leaving his life of the last fifteen years and heading back to normal civilisation, but for the first time it didn't scare him, not now not that he had the right people by his side.

 _A/N: how was that? Good? Boring? OOC? Please review._


End file.
